


Graves

by susies_fandom_wonders



Series: Requested Fics [5]
Category: Layton Kyouju Series | Professor Layton Series
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-26
Updated: 2017-11-26
Packaged: 2019-02-07 05:02:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12833859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/susies_fandom_wonders/pseuds/susies_fandom_wonders
Summary: Desmond has a feely moment visiting the graves of his late family.





	1. Graves Part 1 -- Before the Legacy

**Author's Note:**

> From my Tumblr blog, slenderbrine22.tumblr.com . Requested by @one-groovy-rose . Comes complete with a sequel!

“Are you sure you want to do this, Master?” Raymond looked back at the man as they pulled up at an all too familiar graveyard.

Desmond was gripping his arms with incredible force, his knuckles turning white. He nodded after a moment, unclenching one of his hands long enough to grab the vase of flowers by his side.

“I have to,” he finally said. Raymond just nodded as he left the vehicle and opened the door for Desmond.

It had been one week since Olivia and Violet Sycamore’s deaths. Desmond felt his breath hitching as he struggled to calm himself down, tears already springing into his eyes. He clenched his teeth as he exited the car, Raymond closing the door behind him with a soft bang.

Desmond refused to move until the older man was at his side. His grip tightened on the vase as he looked up at the sky.

It was a beautiful day, the sky clear with the exception of a few stray, whispy clouds. He had seen multiple couples, multiple families on picnics while Raymond passed a park on the way to the cemetery.

He couldn’t do that anymore.

Desmond looked down and cleared the thoughts from his mind, taking a deep breath before taking a step towards the enclosed space. His limbs felt heavy, as if they were made of lead instead of flesh and bone. He shuddered. Raymond placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, and slowly urged him forward.

“If you don’t want to, I can always --”

“No.” He had to. He had to. He took another step. “Do you know where they are?”

“Of course.”

“Can you… lead the way?” He looked down at the ground. He couldn’t look at all the gravestones. He already felt like he was going to fall apart with the smallest push. Raymond gave a soft hum as he extended a hand for Desmond to take. He reached up and gripped it tightly, the hand shaking. Raymond gave a soft squeeze before pulling Desmond along into the cemetery.

He was the only mourner there, the area devoid of people. Good. If he did break down, people wouldn’t be there to see. He could feel Raymond’s eyes on him as the older man glanced back, his mouth set in a straight line.

After about a minute of walking, Raymond slowed before finally stopping. Desmond kept his focus on the ground. Why did he want to do this again?

He looked up after a bit of prompting from Raymond, and felt his heart leap into his throat.

He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t. Seeing the stones with their names carved into them was too much. Seeing their pictures on the stones was too much. This was all too much.  
Desmond didn’t pay any mind as tears began streaming down his face, his grip on the vase loosening as his limbs shook. They were dead. They were really dead.

Raymond felt the change in atmosphere as Desmond went from grief to something akin to terror in a split second. The butler pulled the vase out of Desmond’s hands, setting it down gently in between the two headstones before hearing a soft thud on the ground.

“Desmond!” The red-eyed man was sitting on his knees, leaning over as his arms hugged himself. He was muttering something to himself, and it wasn’t until Raymond knelt down to his level that he could understand what he was saying.

“They’re dead. Oh God, they’re really dead.” His eyes were wide and glazed over with tears. Raymond placed a heavy hand on his adoptive son’s shoulder. The red-eyed man reacted instantly, throwing himself at the older man with a choked sob.

“There, there, Hershel.” Raymond said the name without even thinking about it; the man in his arms didn’t seem to care about the slip-up. “I’m here for you.”

“They’re dead, Raymond.”

“I know. I know.”

“They shouldn’t be.” Raymond lowered his eyes to the ground.

“...I know.”


	2. Graves Part Two -- After the Legacy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sequel to Graves Part 1.  
> Des doesn't break like he did the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From my Tumblr blog, slenderbrine22.tumblr.com . Also requested by @one-groovy-rose .

Desmond was silent as they pulled up at an all too familiar graveyard. Raymond had visited the place more times than he could remember, but this was only Desmond’s third time, as the old butler didn’t want to trigger anything in the red-eyed man more than necessary.

It was actually Desmond who had requested to come to the cemetary, and Raymond thought that was okay; he had been gaining more stability ever since Bronev was placed under arrest. Raymond glanced back at the man as he turned off the engine; Desmond was staring out the window, his gaze unfocused. The butler was worried for a moment that the man had gone into a panic attack; his clouded eyes were normally one of the first signs that something was wrong. However, Raymond’s worry vanished as Desmond appeared to snap out of it with a few quick blinks, and he turned to Raymond as the butler spoke.

“We are here, Desmond.” The red-eyed man pursed his lips before nodding. Raymond exited the car, and pulled open Desmond’s door. The man stepped out, and shuddered as he looked at the cemetery for what seemed to be the first time. Raymond could see the haunted look in his eyes.

“If you need, you can stay in the car while I go pay both our respects.” Desmond quickly shook his head.

“No. I’ll be fine this time.” Raymond nodded, and the two stepped into the graveyard. A few people were scattered here and there, hugging their jackets around them to shield them from the wind. The sky was cloudy and grey, and Raymond held an umbrella in his hand, just in case it started to rain.

Desmond walked stiffly, and Raymond could see the slight tremor in his hands as they clenched into fists. He hesitated, then placed a gentle hand on the man’s shoulder.

“It will be okay.” The words were automatic as they left the butler’s lips, having said them enough that they were engrained into his speech. Desmond just nodded, his lips pursed into a thin line.

They approached the small gravestones, and Raymond squeezed Desmond’s shoulder reassuringly. The man’s breathing had gone a bit shaky, and his hands trembled. Desmond’s jaw worked as he struggled to say something, his eyes welling up with tears.

“Olivia… Violet…,” he finally managed to say. “I finally have finished my work that took you all those years ago.” In his mind, he knew that what he was doing was incredibly cliché, but he felt he had to do it for some sort of closure. “I finally got in touch with my brother, just like you wanted, Olivia.” The area was silent, and the wind carried away his words as they left him. “I… I plan on meeting up with him again very soon.” He gave a soft smile. “In the end, everything worked out like you said it would.” He felt the warmth of tears trailing down his cheeks. He looked down at Violet’s grave next.

“Violet, I….” His words got stuck in his throat as he remembered something. “I think you came back, in the form of a girl named Aurora. She was you in absolutely every way. Her voice. Her mannerisms. She was curious about how the world worked….” Desmond gave a soft sniff, raising a hand to his face. “I cared about you both. I lost you both.” He grit his teeth. “I’m so sorry, honey. I’ve failed you both twice.”

Raymond looked down as Desmond said this. All the pain, all the memories came flooding back, and the butler couldn’t keep the tears from welling up.

“I hope you can forgive me.” Desmond turned as he said this; he needed to look away before he broke completely. As he did, he swore he caught two familiar voices on the wind.

“We already have.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is significantly shorter than other blurbs I have done, and this one may be the shortest one.


End file.
